


Heathen

by VirtusFortitudoEtSapientia



Series: The Definition of a Heretic [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Armin becomes a motivational speaker, Armin the Heretic, Gen, If You Squint - Freeform, Kinda, M/M, Relationships are pre-slash, Shiganshina Trio, past bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 05:12:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9163651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirtusFortitudoEtSapientia/pseuds/VirtusFortitudoEtSapientia
Summary: ‘heathen; [hee-th uh n] Disparaging and Offensivenoun, plural heathens, heathen.1. (in historical contexts) an individual of a people that do not acknowledge the God of the Bible; a person who is neither a Jew, Christian, nor Muslim; a pagan.2. Informal. an irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized person.’Satisfied, Levi nodded and turned away, though paused halfway, eyeing the man sideways. “You’ve a better grasp on reality than most of the poor bastards here, even at half their age.” When he cocked his head, his fringe swung into his eyes. “I can’t decide whether or not that’s something to be celebrated or mourned, though.”In the aftermath of the run-in with his former bullies, Armin discovers his words have affected more than just his target audience.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 of 3; you must read 'Heretic' before this one, or it wont make sense. 
> 
> I should also probably mention that this follows the anime, not the manga, and takes place post-episode 25. I pictured the characters being a little older than they are now, but you are, of course, free to picture them however you please. Such is the beauty of fanfiction.

No one said anything about the confrontation in the city until that afternoon, when the supplies had been gathered and the soldiers were given an hour’s free time to do as they pleased around the river. Since the heckling had ended, Armin had been in one of his quiet moods; Eren knew it meant he was contemplating things, and to try and make conversation with him now would be pointless.

Instead, he and Mikasa sat with the blonde at the riverside, drinks in hand and enjoying the sun as it warmed their faces. They were soon joined by the rest of their friends, who were, for once, quiet.

Until Krista opened her mouth to ask quietly a question that had clearly been bothering most of them.

            “Armin?”

He blinked, tore his gaze away from his cup and smiled sweetly at the girl. “You want to know why they called me a heretic?”

She flushed and looked away, clearly ashamed for having let curiosity get the better of her, though Armin didn’t seem offended. Instead, he shrugged.

            “Even as a child I never believed the Walls would last forever. When the Colossal Titan brought down Wall Maria, I was proved right.” He took a sip of his drink and followed it with a tiny, knowing grimace. “I probably should have kept those opinions to myself though. Those who didn’t want to face the idea were quick to respond.”

            “Respond.” Eren snorted. “Yeah.”

More like attack. He was about to say as much when Krista asked her next question.

            “Did they say things like that often? When you were little?”

Armin shrugged again. “Once there was a time when I judged the kindness of people based on how many stones they’d throw that day.”

His statement was followed by total silence, as their friends stared in horror and disbelief, and he watched the current drag leaves through the water. Eventually, he put his cup down and leaned back on his hands. “That changed when I met Eren, though.”

They shared a smile, and Eren swayed over to nudge him with his shoulder. “Right. Because I joined in and got totally thrashed.”

The younger of the two laughed at that and shook his head. “But you stood up for me.” He said simply, as if it explained everything.

Perhaps, for Armin, it did.

            “I get it now.” Jean muttered, glaring at the river. “Why you cling to him so much. But you’re not a princess and he isn’t some white knight. You’re going to need to stand up for yourself sooner or later.”

Eren bristled against his friend, though calmed when Armin discreetly linked their hands together and cocked his head at Jean.

            “Despite my never being anything but a burden to them, Eren and Mikasa have never left me. And while right now I don’t know how to repay them, one day I will. I don’t think of either of them as my ‘white knights’, and I certainly don’t think of myself as a _princess_ , but there is a debt to be paid, I think.” He dropped his head onto Eren’s shoulder and relaxed. “When it is, we’ll stand on equal footing.”

By now, Eren was used to the strange view Armin had on their friendship, so didn’t react other than to shake his head. For a genius, the man could be quite dense sometimes. They’d argued enough about it over the years that he no longer bothered to correct him, stopped trying to point out the ways Armin had already paid that imaginary debt, and now he just allowed him to keep his opinion. Instead, he slipped his arm around the man’s waist and squeezed lightly.

            “By the ocean, right?”

            “Shoulder to shoulder.” He nodded back.

They fell into silence again, until a new voice joined the fray.

            “‘ _What are you willing to give for your children to know freedom?_ ’”

Armin flushed as they all turned to look at Levi, his cup in his hand and his own gaze carefully scrutinising the blonde’s face. “I think Erwin liked that one. Don’t be surprised if you start to hear it more often.”

            “…Um?”

Levi rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Listen, you did well to respond to those shit-heads the way you did but... Whether it’s personal or not, too many people think very little of what we’re trying to achieve here. They don’t see the point, despite the fact that it’s us that’s trying to keep our species alive.” He took a sip, and frowned. “Most of us ignore them. You successfully shut them up. Just…maybe don’t push your luck next time. Once is enough.”

            “Yes sir.”

Satisfied, Levi nodded and turned away, though paused halfway, eyeing the man sideways. “You’ve a better grasp on reality than most of the poor bastards here, even at half their age.” When he cocked his head, his fringe swung into his eyes. “I can’t decide whether or not that’s something to be celebrated or mourned, though.”

It came out quiet, as if it was a thought not really meant to be aired. After a moment, Levi shook his head again and left, moving back to where the horses had been left to graze. He disappeared amongst them and Eren turned back to his friend.

            “Coming from Levi…high praise, man.”

Armin just hummed thoughtfully.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).


End file.
